KC man accused of impersonating officer, asking arrestee for sex

A man impersonating a police officer followed a woman home from the Power & Light entertainment district earlier this month, told her she was under arrest and sexually assaulted her, according to court records released today.

A man impersonating a police officer followed a woman home from the Power & Light District earlier this month, told her she was under arrest and sexually assaulted her, according to court records released today.

Clay County prosecutors charged Grant C. Rader, 34, with deviate sexual sodomy and impersonating an officer in connection with the attack, which occurred about 3:30 a.m. on March 8 near the victim’s Kansas City home in the 3800 block of N.W. Barry Road.

Rader remained in jail in lieu today of a $25,000 cash-only bond. He requested a bond reduction Wednesday, which the court denied.

Police are trying to determine if other women have been victimized but have not reported the crimes. Anyone with information should call detectives at 816-234-5220.

According to the court records:

The 25-year-old victim told police she was celebrating her birthday at Power& Light when she got into an argument with her sister, who left her without a ride. She was “slightly intoxicated,” took a cab home and was met by a friend at her apartment complex who wanted to make sure she got home safely.

A man pulled up in a red pickup truck and announced he was an undercover detective. He had a laptop rigged in between the seats in his truck and a police scanner on, so the victim and her friend believed he was an officer.

He said she was under arrest for the altercation with her sister, even though the dispute did not turn physical.

The victim’s friend tried for 20 minutes to convince the “officer” to let her friend go, but the man insisted and drove away with the victim in his pickup truck.

The man pulled over and said he needed to search the victim. He made her partially remove her clothing. He then said he would not take her to jail if she agreed to have sex with him.

When she refused, he allegedly sodomized her.

He eventually dropped her off in her parking lot. Meanwhile, her friend had driven to a police station to bail out the victim, but the victim never arrived.

The cab driver later told detectives that he overheard the pickup driver state, “Everything is all right. I am a cop,” according to court records.

Rader told police he went to the entertainment district with a friend and that he has mutual friends with the victim.

He said he did not remember parts of the evening in question because of his “alcohol intake.” He said any contact between him and the victim was consensual, according to court records. He said he “thinks he went home after that but was unsure.”

Police said people who are pulled over by officers should ask for current police identification. The officer should be in a marked vehicle with lights.

When in doubt, people should call 911. They can drive slowly with their flashers on while asking a 911 dispatcher about a suspicious traffic stop, police said.

“If you feel uneasy, ask for a supervisor or other officers,” a police press release suggested. “If a situation doesn’t seem right, it probably isn’t.”